Three keys to a Washington football upset at Nebraska

Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies are looking for their second straight road win in Big Ten play as they head east to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Halloween night.Here are three things they can do to get out of Lincoln with a victory.Avoid third-and-long"The key against a team like Nebraska, or any team that's got really good third-down defense, is to get the third-and-ones, twos, and threes," Jedd Fisch said during his Monday press conference. "So that means you have to be super efficient on second down, and do the best we can to have really good first-down plays, and we've been able to do that. We certainly did it last week; we only had seven third downs in the game, one of which I think was a kneel-down, so six third downs in the game against Purdue. So obviously that's how you defeat a good third-down defense: is not have a lot of third downs."The Cornhuskers enter Saturday's contest with the nation's best third-down defense, allowing a conversion rate of just 19.32 percent. No matter who's playing quarterback between Elijah Brown and Demond Williams Jr., staying ahead of the sticks is critical to keep the Huskies on schedule.Contain Anthony ColandreaThe Black Sea awaits. pic.twitter.com/OoIHGro15B— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) October 29, 2026The UNLV transfer has been a productive piece for the Cornhuskers offense all season. He's completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 1,570 yards and 14 touchdowns with 4 interceptions, and added 334 yards and 4 scores on the ground. Washington's defense has struggled with mobile quarterbacks throughout the year, and Colandrea poses a big threat to the Huskies both in and out of the pocket, so keeping him inside, where Nebraska ranks No. 12 in the Big Ten in sacks allowed, will be critical to keep the Huskers behind the sticks."He is the most challenging quarterback that we will have faced to date," Walters said on Tuesday. "He's obviously a major threat on the ground. Even though he's not like a big guy, per se, he runs like a running back. He's knocking you out of bounds; he'll cut back against the grain; obviously, he's fast; he can run away from people...and he can really throw the ball."Find an offensive rhythmSept. 21, 1991⁰Third quarter: 21-9 Nebraska⁰Final: 36-21 Washington pic.twitter.com/q5MZ8eSQU0— Washington Football (@UW_Football) October 28, 2026As Fisch weighs his options between Brown and Williams at quarterback, the most important thing for either third-year signal caller to do against coach Matt Rhule's elite defense is to find a rhythm and get the ball out quickly to try to keep the Huskers on their heels. Washington will have to make some shuffles along the offensive line with center Landen Hatchett out for the rest of the season, and during UW's 38-26 win at Purdue, Brown showed that Fisch's offense operates at its most efficient when the ball is out quickly, allowing receivers Chris Lawson and Dezmen Roebuck opportunities to make plays in space and pick up yards after the catch.This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Three keys to a Washington football upset at Nebraska